Watch Out for Seagulls Tripping on Acid From Flying Ants

Seagulls can be a pain at the best of times, routinely stealing your food before shitting it out on top of your head. Drunk seagulls, however, sound like a whole different beast.

Members of the public have been told to expect bonkers behaviour from the birds over the next couple of weeks, thanks to a phenomenon known as Flying Ant Day. Thanks to the recent hot weather, enormous swarms of flying ants have emerged from their nests, with queens looking to start new colonies and males in the mood for love.

Seagulls have been gorging themselves on the insects and behaving extremely weirdly as a result, with many flying into buildings and getting run over by cars. It’s believed that this is because the ants contain formic acid, which is causing the birds to lose their inhibitions and appear drunk.

“I have seen the crushed bodies of around half a dozen gulls on main roads around the city,” said an Exeter motorist. “Normally they fly off before getting anywhere near a vehicle, but they just seem to getting mown down.”